UMass Boston

Meal Plans

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UMass Boston Dining is about more than great food. It is a community experience centered on culinary expertise, fresh ingredients, healthy options, and a shared sense of environmental and social responsibility. Join us for a welcoming dining experience that includes outstanding food served in an inviting atmosphere that is both comfortable and convenient.

We are pleased to offer UMass Boston students a variety of Meal Plan options for the 2024-2025 academic year. The plans include a mandatory option for all residential students in addition to commuter meal plans for those living off campus.

Residential Meal Plan

Students living on campus in a Residence Hall are required to participate in a Resident Meal Plan. The cost for the 2024-2025 academic year is $6,360 ($3,180/semester) based on 218 board days. Students may choose from the Resident Meal Plan 14* or the Resident Unlimited Plan that includes a combination of:

  • Meal "Swipes"
    • Used in the all-you-care-to-eat Dining Commons in the Residence Hall. Meal swipes do not carry over from week to week and they reset every Saturday.
  • Guest Meals
    • Each Resident Meal Plan provides for 5 Guest Meals per semester for use in the Resident Dining Commons.
  • Dining Points (one dining point = one dollar)
    • Can be used at any on-campus retail dining facility and are deducted based on the dollar amount spent. Retail dining locations include Food Court, Dunkin Donuts, Beacon Cafe, ISC Cafe, and UMarket (convenience store in the Residence Hall).

Resident Meal Plan 14*

  • 14 Meal "swipes" per week at the all-you-care-to-eat Resident Dining Commons
  • 700 Dining Points per semester for use at any retail location on campus
  • 5 Guest Meals per semester in the Resident Dining Commons

Resident Unlimited Plan

  • Unlimited Meal "swipes" per week at the all-you-care-to-eat Resident Dining Commons
  • 175 Dining Points per semester for use at any retail location on campus
  • 5 Guest Meals per semester in the Resident Dining Commons

*Resident Students will automatically be signed up for Resident Meal Plan 14 and a charge of $6,360 will be automatically added to their student bill. Students will have an opportunity to switch to the Resident Unlimited Plan if they prefer within the first two weeks of the semester by emailing mealplan@umb.edu. 

Please Note: Dining Points and Guest Meals carry over from the fall to spring semester provided that you continue on the Resident Meal Plan for the spring semester. Any unused dining points or meal swipes expire at the end of the 2024-2025 academic year in May 2025. Unused dining points and meal swipes cannot be refunded or transferred to a Beacon Bucks account. Dining points and meal swipes are not available during winter and summer breaks. 

Refund Policy: Voluntary withdrawal from the University in accordance with the University’s policies, prior to checking into the residence halls, will result in a full refund of the meal plan. Complete withdrawal from the University in accordance with the University's policies will follow the tuition and fee cancellation policy.

Commuter Meal Plan Options

Students who live off-campus and UMass Boston faculty and staff are welcome to participate in either of the two resident dining meal plans or choose from nine commuter meal plans with various combinations of Meal "swipes" which may be used in the Resident Dining Commons and Dining Points for use across campus in any retail dining location (Food Court, Dunkin Donuts, Beacon Cafe, ISC Cafe, and UMarket).

Block Plan:

  • Neighborhood A ($340) | 25 Meal "swipes" in the Resident Dining Commons only per academic year
  • Neighborhood B ($650) | 50 Meal "swipes" in the Resident Dining Commons only per academic year
  • Neighborhood C ($1,200) | 100 Meal "swipes" in the Resident Dining Commons only per academic year

Dining Points Plan:

  • Points Plan A "Harbor Plan" ($200) | 200 Dining Points and (3) Bonus "swipes" in the Resident Dining Commons
  • Points Plan B " Beacons Plan" ($400) | 400 Dining Points and (7) Bonus "swipes" in the Resident Dining Commons
  • Points Plan C "Commonwealth Plan" ($750) | 750 Dining Points and (10) Bonus "swipes" in the Resident Dining Commons

Combo Plan:

  • Combo A ($420) | 25 Meal "swipes" per year at the Resident Dining Commons and 100 Dining Points for use at any retail location on campus
  • Combo B ($725) | 50 Meal "swipes" per year at the Resident Dining Commons and 100 Dining Points for use at any retail location on campus
  • Combo C ($1,470) | 100 Meal "swipes" per year at the Resident Dining Commons and 300 Dining Points for use at any retail location on campus

Please Note: Unused Dining Points or meal "swipes" purchased as part of a Commuter Meal Plan will roll over from the fall to spring semester and expire at the end of the 2024-2025 academic year in May 2025. Dining points cannot be transferred to a Beacon Bucks account. Dining points are not available during summer and winter breaks.

Sign-up for fall commuter meal plans to begin Monday, July 8!

How to Enroll in a Commuter Plan:

  1. Go to https://beaconcard.umb.edu/ and login using your UMass Boston login information;
  2. Choose your Meal Plan option and carefully review the applicable contract;
  3. Choose your payment option. Students have the option of adding a meal plan to the student bill until add/drop day. After this time, meal plan purchases can be made using a credit card. 
  4. Click the CONFIRM button at the bottom to agree to the terms and conditions of the contract;

You are done! Your meal plan will be added to your BeaconCard for use on the first day of the semester.

See Also

Meal plan sign-up and administrative questions can be directed to: mealplan@umb.edu.

General dining questions can be directed to:
UMass Boston Dining Services
Campus Center, Lower Level617.287.5217Andy.Allen@sodexo.com